Five for Fighting - How Hockey Saved the Allies - An FtM AAR

[Dewirix]

I'm surprised how well you're doing in Italy. Looks like your focus on the army has paid off and that all those cross-straits battles earlier in the game have toughened the Canadians up to the point where the Germans don't have an overwhelming advantage.

As someone unfamiliar with HOI3, I have to ask, will taking Berlin cause Germany to automatically capitulate, or will the Soviet Union still have to build up more warscore? Either way, it looks like the war is wrapping up. I'll be sorry to see this end.

Taking Berlin alone won't cause Germany to collapse as they'll still have plenty of Victory Points (HoI's version of warscore) in occupied Western Europe. However, Berlin contains the German resource stockpile and surrounding it will cause supply issues for the remaining German units as supply is routed from the capital. This poses a long- and short-term problem for the Germans, as without vital resources they'll have difficulty making new supplies, and at present their existing stockpile will have trouble reaching the frontline.

[InnocentIII]

And the judgement day is coming for Germany and Italy. Italian garrisons should not last for long now.

Lets hope so, I'm not getting any more units, that's for sure.

Berlin is surrounded , we don't know what is in there but the germans will lose it all ...
the italian expeditionary forces should not be affected

Too bad, I'll have to try to destroy them then.

As someone unfamiliar with HOI3, I have to ask, will taking Berlin cause Germany to automatically capitulate, or will the Soviet Union still have to build up more warscore? Either way, it looks like the war is wrapping up. I'll be sorry to see this end.

I believe, more from people's comments than experience, that the fall of Berlin will not be the end of Germany. I suppose I should check Germany's surrender %, I had not thought of that outside Italy until just now. And thanks, I'll miss this, too. So many things I'd have done differently, I think, even if I do like the overall flow of Canada's fortunes.

I'm surprised how well you're doing in Italy. Looks like your focus on the army has paid off and that all those cross-straits battles earlier in the game have toughened the Canadians up to the point where the Germans don't have an overwhelming advantage.

Taking Berlin alone won't cause Germany to collapse as they'll still have plenty of Victory Points (HoI's version of warscore) in occupied Western Europe. However, Berlin contains the German resource stockpile and surrounding it will cause supply issues for the remaining German units as supply is routed from the capital. This poses a long- and short-term problem for the Germans, as without vital resources they'll have difficulty making new supplies, and at present their existing stockpile will have trouble reaching the frontline.

Italy is going very well ... so far. The men did get quite a few stars in Messina And good point on Germany, their whole army is going to be out of supply, potentially, until the capitol moves.

[InnocentIII]

Picking up where we left off, we lose 175 soldiers to multiple Italian bombings, but we've nearly closed the Isernia pocket.



More importantly, our manpower has been dispersed throughout our divisions rather than piling up, unused, in Ottawa.

We win the battle in Isernia, killing or capturing only 7000 men, and then a berserk German division attacks Grosetto with what little strength they have remaining to them.



They're doing pretty well for all that. We win shortly after, but the bombings continue costing us hundreds of casualties. Another garrison division briefly visits Orbetello. I decide to move men to the front, and take Civitavechia while it's empty.



We succeed, and it turns out we've traded AP for Rome's port. Deal. Meanwhile, Stalin is overwhelming the Berlin suburbs, but has not yet taken the German capitol. Sounds familiar, actually



Oh, remember last time, I said depending on troops moving this way and that only proved embarassing once? Well, this is it. Check out Pescara. No defenders, and none were incoming at the time. I changed it before it cost me, and technically I don't need need the port. Still, it's mine, it is, and I wants it.

As the last week of 1943 plays itself out, the situation in Europe is grim for the Axis, and not much better for the Allies.



The Axis counter-attack in Orbetello, taking my mind off of the province I really need, Civita Castellana



Now, I do need to hold the pocket my northern troops are in, and having it split it in half would be very bad, but looking back it is painful to see CC empty here. But the door was never as open as it appeared.



I ordered men from Civitavecchia to attack CC, to try to cut off the Axis from Rome, and link up all my forces. It looks good!



More men are on the way, and here's a look at the terrain.



But those men will take ages to walk there. By the way, I again tried to load troops into ships, waited quite some time as the men involved were far from the action, and the order always said "no order" and there was no movement. I'm obviously missing something here.

In other news, the supply situation in my self-created pocket in the northwest is looking very comfortable, for now.



But the long-term trouble is the flood of Axis which is now headed toward Rome.



I see the danger, I'm throwing what I have into the mix, but so is the enemy, and there is constant bombing in Orbetello.



I send a mountain division back to Napoli to load manually into ships, but that will take days [Ed - blame the British Navy?]. It was the British Navy's fault, I'm sure of it.

And so is all this.

[Dewirix]

Have you tried using pinning attacks to stop the Axis moving divisions into the neck of the pocket? Of course, I'm not sure you've got the forces to do that, and it looks like it might be too late in this case, but a couple of divisions can sometimes pin down larger forces if the AI decides to stand and fight.

[InnocentIII]

Have you tried using pinning attacks to stop the Axis moving divisions into the neck of the pocket? Of course, I'm not sure you've got the forces to do that, and it looks like it might be too late in this case, but a couple of divisions can sometimes pin down larger forces if the AI decides to stand and fight.

That's a very good point. Just because the Axis want to pile into Rome doesn't mean that I am powerless to stop them. My men aren't in place yet, and it may be too late as you say, but since I have not played more than a week or so past this, and things didn't change all that much, it might be possible to attack before I face everything in Italy packed into Rome. Of course, the enemy wasn't holding still during that time.

[mnplastic]

2nd Canadian Mountain Division looks very experienced. Probably Canada's most elite unit?

[Wallienator]

Keep Rome surrounded for longer amounts of time, it'll screw with Italian supplies, and thus make your fight easier.

[InnocentIII]

2nd Canadian Mountain Division looks very experienced. Probably Canada's most elite unit?

It's among the very top, not sure how much they've decayed, but all the ones in Messina came out looking for trouble.

Keep Rome surrounded for longer amounts of time, it'll screw with Italian supplies, and thus make your fight easier.

Good point, I need to cut the city off if I can't take it soon, and taking it soon is beginning to seem like wishful thinking.

[InnocentIII]

With the flood of Axis suddenly turned southward, toward Rome, I decide to take a look at what I am up against in Viterbo, gateway to Civita Castellana (CC).



Rather a lot, actually.

That semi-pointless attack ends the Axis combat in Orbetello, but doesn't do diddly squat for CC.



We call our probe off in Viterbo. It cost us under a hundred men, and the attack capability of that division. The attack capability was extremely valuable a couple days earlier when I might have finished the CC attack earlier. Now, well now it's just a reminder of opportunities lost.

It wasn't at this point, but it was during the CC battle, that something occurred to me for literally the very first time.

I might lose.

Seriously, it had never previously crossed my mind that I might be defeated in Italy, unable to conquer the country. If Rome alone is enough to keep the Italians in the war (15 VPs? If it's not enough it is very close), and Rome is the source of their supplies, how many men do they need to hold out against the entire Canadian army? I dunno, but it's probably somewhere in the vicinity of what they have there right now.

This has got to be another 40-45,000 men.



So, something has got to be done!



We put up the Bat Signal and hope for some reaction. Right now, it feels like I'm the NYPD and I'm fighting an alien invasion while the Superheroes are all eating at a Shwarma restaurant, more concerned with hiding a beard than helping us not fail.

CANADA SMASH!

We wish. I call off the prior request for help in Calabria because that's going to help a lot. I call off the attempt at CC.



I missed my opportunity. Time to move men into position and come up with a new plan.

Or at least defend what I've asked the Allies to send troops to.



Oh, look, the HRE pulled another Doomstack out of its arse and dropped it into Montepulciano (okay, it's not holy, and it's not an Empire, but at least this one is Roman).

I take the now-empty Tivoli, and shortly after take a peek at the defenders in Rome.



That's a good 80,000 men between Rome and CC. Maybe not insurmountable, we'll see what I can put into place. We lost only 40 men.

Our supplies in the pocket amount to 660, down fifty-six from the 716 in the screenshot last chapter. Supply is not our problem here. The enemy is.

I probe Civita Castellana to get a current look at the enemy we face.



So, make it 100,000 defenders, more or less. Much depends on how many of them choose to enter Rome, but it's clear that I can't stop them.

I lost only 12 men and killed 6 in that probe despite 10-1 odds against. Maybe the garrison troops aren't so tough after all?

We have some 42,000 men in the northwest pocket, and I'm thinking the Axis are all headed for Rome, which will give them 100k.



Guess who's coming to dinner?

[sprites]

They don't have enough soviets to fight?

[alhoward]

They don't have enough soviets to fight?

Of course they don't. They're winning the war after all, its only a matter of time before they reach Moscow. Its not worth losing their great ally Italy for the sake of sending an armored division to the East Front. In the West suburbs of Berlin.

[InnocentIII]

They don't have enough soviets to fight?

Of course they don't. They're winning the war after all, its only a matter of time before they reach Moscow. Its not worth losing their great ally Italy for the sake of sending an armored division to the East Front. In the West suburbs of Berlin.

Yeah, somebody wants to be a big fish in a little pond. What part of "Berlin is surrounded" are these guys not getting?

[blsteen]

We put up the Bat Signal and hope for some reaction. Right now, it feels like I'm the NYPD and I'm fighting an alien invasion while the Superheroes are all eating at a Shwarma restaurant, more concerned with hiding a beard than helping us not fail.
Ah...at least you're the NYPD...they should be used to all the funky stuff happening...No self respecting alien (on film) invades Des Moines or Denver...or Buffalo.
Hopefully, the Panzers will be low on gas and unable to turn the tide. Hopefully.
Who knows maybe the US Third Army is boarding transports now. However, given your general experience so far. They're in Korea or Des Moines.

[InnocentIII]

We put up the Bat Signal and hope for some reaction. Right now, it feels like I'm the NYPD and I'm fighting an alien invasion while the Superheroes are all eating at a Shwarma restaurant, more concerned with hiding a beard than helping us not fail.
Ah...at least you're the NYPD...they should be used to all the funky stuff happening...No self respecting alien (on film) invades Des Moines or Denver...or Buffalo.
Hopefully, the Panzers will be low on gas and unable to turn the tide. Hopefully.
Who knows maybe the US Third Army is boarding transports now. However, given your general experience so far. They're in Korea or Des Moines.

Very true on aliens, though my wife and I did shout "that's the way the cookie crumbles" in a scene filmed for Bruce Almighty, but it was never used. So God was nearby, and He knew what sport matters. Note to movie producers - if you want a crowd, don't pick a pre-season game against a non-conference non-contender. No offense to Columbus, but the building was half empty. As for the panzers, I dunno, and the Allies? <sigh>

EDIT - sparing no expense, I've just returned from an on-site research trip. No, unfortunately, not to Rome or its suburbs, but to Canada. If you've never tried maple sugar candy search for some, what great idea. It had been so long since I'd been to Canada that I was waiting for the border inspection lady to say "citizenship?" and I'd say "US" and that would be about it. She just looked at me like I was an idiot until I grabbed the passports. Then she made fun of me, but not in a bad way. Going to Montreal in August, I can only hope WW2 holds out long enough to let me call that research, too.

[InnocentIII]

Let's take a look at the math - OVERVIEW - Italy has 41 VPs now per the ledger (Canada has 42, better than all but the four great powers), and has lost only 36% of its National VPs. This means total Italian VPs are 64, and 23 VPs is therefore 36%. They will surrender if they get below 82.1%, assuming that national unity doesn't fall further. That means we need 53 VPs of the 64. Not only does this mean that I must capture Rome, it also means that I must capture all remaining Italian VP cities, but one. No combination of two VP centers totals 11 or less. Rome is 15, all remaining VPs are 26! Genoa/Milan/Venice 7 each and Bologna 5 VPs.

If I do not take Rome, I cannot defeat Italy. If I do not take Bologna I cannot defeat Italy unless I take all the rest.

Well, at least this means I still have a long, hard slog ahead of me, and that there's no sense hurting myself long-term trying to smash and grab or use some other short term strategy, though I did the math after this turn :P

Then there's the Cave Troll the Axis brought to the party.



I called off that battle as it was clear I stood no chance, and I need what strength I have in the Canadian pocket for later. I'm down to 535 units of supply in the pocket. Not desperate, obviousy, but low enough and dropping quickly enough that I cannot ignore supply. I had 716 then 660 in the two earlier chapters.

Then the AI decides to pressure me further.



I need those guys to hold on at least until the retreating troops reach the province.



I've been fighting garrison troops for too long, damn armor moves fast.



As does Italian progress on beating up my men on the coast.



Notice the Italian stack moving into Rome, though.

IF they move quickly enough, and IF I still have the strength in my coastal pocket, I MAY be able to connect up with my central highlands holdings and perhaps cut off Rome, even now. I'm not sure how long that would last against the armor, but if I were able to take Rome while the armor was beating against one province, well, that makes for an unlikely but not impossible scenario.

In any event, it is the hope I have, and my reason for not abandoning the pocket entirely, just yet. The Italians kill 60 in two bombing raids, and force one of my divisions to retreat.



Then I see a symbol which I have never seen before, that I can recall. The All-Seeing-Eye? Speculation that the Pyramids really were meant to replicate stellar formations? A really poorly written math problem? The Deathly Hallows?



Nope, proof that it's later than I'd like.

Still, losing another 60 men to three bombings, my men hold on, waiting patiently for the garrison troops to reach Rome.



Even if I cannot hold the perimeter around Rome, I'd like to hook up with my other troops and just shift east a bit. Withdrawal, transport and moving back to the front gives the Axis more opportunity to mess me up than I'd like.

Yeah, I probably should have done this sooner.



Like it would have mattered.



Time for an Evac. That infantry division looked worse up close.



The German capitol has been moved to Bittburg in the fortifications near France/Belgium. I took down the Bat Signal for Normandy. If the USA/UK decide to fight the war for a bit, and they care at all what I think, they'll drop on top of that German armor division. Too bad I can't target one guy like an MMORPG, "DPS the add, now!" ("many whelps, handle it!"). I'm guessing Crushem got feared into the German Armor area.

I think I had it in my head that this would hurry them along.



Well, that German Armored Division is pacing back and forth like Darth Maul. No sense waiting that long. I'm pulling out the guys who can't fight well, so I'll be sure to have room enough if the remainder need to evacuate mid-battle.



I've bombed the men in CC as much as I can. I make one last attempt to take the province and connect my pocket with my part of Italy.



Wish me luck!

[oss spy]

Good luck An excellent read, by the way.

[Xenophon13]

Good Luck! I think that the commander of that unit of Panzers went rogue and decided to fight on a less depressing front.

[InnocentIII]

Good luck An excellent read, by the way.

Thank you very much!

Good Luck! I think that the commander of that unit of Panzers went rogue and decided to fight on a less depressing front.

I'm thinking he wants another crack at Messina. I should let him through.

[Paglia]

Innoncent III


I just recommended your AAR to the Weekly AAR Showcase. I enjoy reading your AAR and hope more people will discover it.

Here's the LINK !




P.S. This honor comes with some responsability. So, don't do like I just did. Don't forget to suggest another AAR within a week from getting your nomination. Click HERE for more details.

[InnocentIII]

Innoncent III


I just recommended your AAR to the Weekly AAR Showcase. I enjoy reading your AAR and hope more people will discover it.

Here's the LINK !

P.S. This honor comes with some responsability. So, don't do like I just did. Don't forget to suggest another AAR within a week from getting your nomination. Click HERE for more details.

Thank you! This is very gratifying. Even better, I know who I'll name next week and I put a reminder in my phone. It should work better than it did getting me out of bed on time for work this morning.